Sculptor of the Stingray

Kirk Bennion designed the 2014 Corvette Stingray to appeal to Corvette loyalists as well as younger customers in the U.S. and abroad. A more aerodynamic silhouette is part of its "emotional signature," he says. MICHAEL KNOWLTON

Q. The Corvette is widely perceived as a car for baby boomer men, but your design is also trying to reach a younger audience. How do you simultaneously cater to both?

A. Within Corvette's customer base, it's not uncommon to run across somebody who has three or five. We respectfully want to retain our loyal customer base, but we also know within Corvette's lifeline that we need to appeal to younger customers and buyers who are outside of American cars.

Q. How do you achieve that goal through design?

A. It's very tricky. When we were going through development, we got to this design because of all the other designs we did. This one resonated. There was something about this combination that people made comments like, “I'm not a Corvette person, but I like that car”; “I'm not a sports car person, but that's a sharp car.” Our goal was to have it resonate among age groups. The '63 Corvette still does that today: It resonates with younger and older. The '63 hit on a theme that's been timeless, so we wanted to be a little more like that '63. That emotional signature, it's hard to harness. It's a lot of tuning. It's how you execute the theme, the tension of the lines, the curvature, the sheerness of the surface, the highlighting, that all plays into the aesthetic.

Q. How does this design meet the goal of appealing to Europeans, or a buyer who's considering a Porsche 911?

A. One of the goals of the car was crossing continents and age groups. We want you to be able to pull up to your favorite, most expensive restaurant next to an Aston Martin or Porsche 911 and not be embarrassed one bit. We wanted it to be a wow at that level. We offer black spoilers, mirrors, the Z51 performance package. We're providing jewelry and premium details to the exterior to support the luxury sport of Corvette.

Q. How did Chevrolet's pursuit of best-in-class fuel economy influence the look of the new Corvette?

A. In support of that mission with the direct-injection powertrain, we've baked in the best aerodynamics Corvette has ever had. We haven't compromised the look of the car to do something aerodynamic. We worked real hard in the wind tunnel to make aerodynamic features look really beautiful.

The big thing we did starting with the front is we changed the radiator position. It was laid back. Now it lays forward. Air comes through the grille, and it's ducted out through the hood. It reduces the drag, but it also reduces the amount of lift in the front end. You've seen a lot of cars with different hood extractors, but this is one we spent a lot of time making it functional to get the car better cooling, better for drag and better for lift management.

Q. In your opinion, what makes the C7 Corvette worthy of the esteemed Stingray badge?

A. We brought it back because of a couple things. We felt the aesthetic of this car was special enough that it could support that name because Stingray comes with a lot of expectation. A '63 Stingray is a prized Corvette. The other thing, logistically, is it gives Corvette a starting point. We didn't have a name for the base car with the C6. This is Corvette's best starting point ever when you look at horsepower and features. We've raised the bar as far as what you'll get getting into the car.

Q. In determining the overall shape, what ideas did you keep, and which ones were discarded?

A. There were five things we needed to do.

1. We needed to change the upper greenhouse. The Corvette has had a basket handle since 1978, and it's there for function to remove the roof and hinge the rear hatch, but it's stagnated the car. We've used it so much we needed to get a fresh-looking upper on this car to earn that next-generation moniker.

2. We needed to change the face of the car, so we updated its aero and radiator.

Related Links

Kirk Bennion designed the 2014 Corvette Stingray to appeal to Corvette loyalists as well as younger customers in the U.S. and abroad. A more aerodynamic silhouette is part of its "emotional signature," he says. MICHAEL KNOWLTON
The 2014 Corvette Stingray repositions the radiator so it lays forward, reducing drag and the amount of lift on the front end. MICHAEL KNOWLTON
The 2014 Corvette Stingray on display at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show at the McCormick Place Convention Center. ROBIN ALAM, ROBIN ALAM/ZUMAPRESS.COM

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